Holiday Treats

This year for our Holiday plates of goodies we decided to make two of our favorite treats and a new treat. Enjoy the pictures and recipes. May you and yours have a most beautiful Christmas and a Happy New Year. Happy Baking!

Oreo Truffles

We made these truffles last year and they were a huge hit! We also made them for Jon's sister's wedding.

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) package OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, divided
• 1 (8 ounce) package PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
• 2 (8 ounce) packages BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, melted (Baker's chocolate really is the ONLY way to go. We've tried other chocolate and this is our favorite!)

Directions

1. Crush 9 of the cookies to fine crumbs in food processor; reserve for later use. (Cookies can also be finely crushed in a resealable plastic bag using a rolling pin.) Crush remaining 36 cookies to fine crumbs; place in medium bowl. Add cream cheese; mix until well blended. Roll cookie mixture into 42 balls, about 1-inch in diameter.
2. Dip balls in chocolate; place on wax paper-covered baking sheet. (Any leftover chocolate can be stored at room temperature for another use.) Sprinkle with reserved cookie crumbs.
3. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Store leftover truffles, covered, in refrigerator.

Gourmet Pretzel Rods

This recipe is SO easy. These were wedding favors at Jon's cousin's wedding and we would just crave them all the time after the wedding... so we decided to re-make them ourselves.

All you need is one of these...

One of these...
One or two of these...

1. In a microwave safe dish, combine caramels and 1 tablespoon of water. Microwave for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes or until smooth, stirring after each minute.
2. Dip a pretzel rod into melted caramel. Reserve about an inch at the end to use as a handle.
3. Let dry on parchment paper.
4. Dip in melted white chocolate (be sure not to over cook the chocolate).
   
5. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. The cinnamon sugar really makes these delicious!!
   

These are already on the blog, but I thought I'd re-post because they really are that good! My co-workers can't get enough of these!

Raspberry Almond Shortbread Thumbprints

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened not melted
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, cream together butter and white sugar until smooth. Mix in 1/2 teaspoon almond extract. Mix in flour until dough comes together. Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls, and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Make a small hole in the center of each ball, using your thumb and finger, and fill the hole with preserves.
3. Place the cookie sheet with the cookies in the freezer for 10 minutes.
   
4. Bake for 14 to 18 minutes in preheated oven, or until lightly browned. Let cool 1 minute on the cookie sheet.
5. In a medium bowl, mix together the confectioners' sugar, 3/4 teaspoon almond extract, and milk until smooth. Drizzle lightly over warm cookies.

Servings: 36
Prep time: 30 min. Cook time: 18 min. Ready in: 1 hr. 15 min.
Amount per serving: 104 calories, 5.2 grams fat

Simple Salmon Pies

I wish I had a picture of these. They are absolutely beautiful!! Jon and I were watching the Food Network one day and saw THIS. Months later I was craving salmon and I knew this would be the perfect meal. They are SO easy and really melt in your mouth. Below is the recipe. We made a few changes to simplify even more. We used olive oil, regular white onion and mushrooms, dried thyme and no parsley. Enjoy!!

Ingredients

• 4 (6-ounce) center cut salmon fillets, skin removed
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• salt and pepper
• 4 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 1 medium Vidalia onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup chopped shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 4 cups washed, dried, and loosely packed fresh baby spinach
  
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 frozen puff pastry sheets, defrosted
• Chopped fresh parsley leaves, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Brush both sides of the salmon with 1 teaspoon lemon juice and sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.

Warm 2 tablespoons oil in 2 separate skillets over medium-high heat. Add half of the onion and half the garlic to each pan. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and thyme into 1 pan and the spinach, lemon zest and remain lemon juice in the other pan. Stir the spinach until it wilts, then transfer it to a bowl and set aside. Saute the mushrooms until they are reduced and tender, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the sour cream. Set aside.

Trim the thinner ends of the salmon fillet so you have 4 pieces of even thickness. Unroll a pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Pass a rolling pin lightly over 2 or 3 times to seal the seams and lengthen slightly. Cut the pastry sheet into 3 equal strips, using the natural seams as a guide. Roll out the second puff pastry sheet to get 1 more strip. Save remaining puff pastry for another use. Lightly prick the 4 strips with a fork. Put 1 heaping spoonful of mushroom mixture on 1 half of each pastry, top with salmon, then layer with a heaping spoonful of spinach mixture. Wet the edges of the pastry with water and fold over the other half, pressing lightly and folding to seal the edges. Repeat with remaining pastry and filling. Cut 2 vents on the top of each pastry packet and arrange them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake until the pastry is golden and fish is just opaque in the center, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Transfer the pies from the oven to serving dishes and garnish with chopped parsley.

Apple Crisp

Picture courtesy of Allrecipes.com

Hello again everyone! It has been a while since our last post. This perfect winter treat is one of my ultimate favorites. Loaded with scrumptious calories. I made this for my little brother's birthday months back. It's so easy and simply divine. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 10 cups all-purpose apples, peeled, cored and sliced
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter, cold
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degree C).
2. Place the sliced apples in a 9x13 inch pan. Mix the white sugar, 1 tablespoon flour and ground cinnamon together, and sprinkle over apples. Pour water evenly over all.
3. Combine the oats, 1 cup flour, brown sugar, baking powder and baking soda. Cut the butter in the mixture. Crumble evenly over the apple mixture.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 45 minutes.

Serves: 12
Prep time: 30 min. Cook time: 45 min. Ready in: 1hr. 20 min.
Amount per serving: 316 calories 8.4 grams fat

Triple Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache

I found this pan at Walmart for $18. I can't even count how many times we have used it in the past few weeks. We LOVE this pan. It is so easy to use and when used correctly every cake comes out perfectly. They are beautiful little cakes that never cease to impress. For the final course of our Fall feast we made these mini bundt cakes with a simple Triple Chocolate Fudge cake mix. We added more chocolate chips and topped it off with strawberries and this Chocolate Ganache.

Ingredients

• 9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup heavy cream

Directions

1. Place the chocolate into a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil, watching very carefully because if it boils for a few seconds, it will boil out of the pot. When the cream has come to a boil, pour over the chopped chocolate, and whisk until smooth. Stir in the rum if desired.
2. Allow the ganache to cool slightly before pouring over a cake. Start at the center of the cake and work outward. For a fluffy frosting or chocolate filling, allow it to cool until thick, then whip with a whisk until light and fluffy.

We hope you enjoy these easy and yummy recipes for the fall season!!

Baked Spinach & Mozzarella Bites

These delicious bites are great for an appetizer, a side dish for breakfast, or to eat alone just because they are so incredible! Everything about these baked bites is oh so good. They really melt in your mouth. We couldn't stop eating them! We used them as an appetizer for our Fall feast.

Ingredients

• 1 (10 ounce) package spinach, rinsed and chopped
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 onion, chopped (I omitted the onion, not a huge fan of onions)
  
• 1 (8 ounce) package shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. Place spinach in a medium saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to simmer and cook until spinach is limp, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, mix flour, salt and baking powder. Stir in eggs, milk and butter. Mix in spinach, onion and mozzarella cheese.
4. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool before serving.

Green Bean Casserole

I think I've posted green bean casserole once before on this blog. Not sure if this is the same recipe. We made a few changes. We blanched the green beans after cooking them. The green beans were perfect and crisp. We also omitted the soy sauce and added 1/2 cup of cheese with the soup mixture. This is always a classic fall recipe and we loved it once again.

Ingredients

• 2 (10.75 ounce) cans Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup or Campbell's® Condensed 98% Fat Free Cream of Mushroom Soup
• 1 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 8 cups cooked cut green beans
• 2 2/3 cups French's® French Fried Onions

Directions

1. Stir soup, milk, soy sauce, pepper, beans and 1 1/3 cups onions in dish.
2. Bake @ 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until hot. Stir.
3. Top with remaining onions and bake for 5 more minutes.

Perfect Mashed Potatoes

We are the happy owners of a potato ricer. We used our ricer for the first time this weekend and will NEVER go back to mashing our potatoes. This is Martha Stewart's mashed potato recipe. I think what makes them "perfect" is a combination of the creaminess from the ricer and the fall flavor from the nutmeg. Mmmm....

Ingredients

Serves 4 to 6

• 2 pounds russet, Yukon gold, or long white potatoes
• 1 tablespoon salt, plus more to taste
• 1 cup milk, or cream
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  

Directions

1. Peel and cut potatoes into 1 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place in a medium saucepan. Cover with cold water; add 1 tablespoon salt. bring to a simmer. If using a potato ricer, fill another saucepan with water; place over low heat. Keep potatoes at a low simmer until a knife slips in and out easily. Drain potatoes in a colander. Place milk in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. If using an electric mixer with paddle attachment, proceed to Step 4. If using a potato ricer, place a heat-proof bowl or top of a double boiler over a pan of simmering water. Press hot, drained potatoes through ricer into bowl.
3. Stir potatoes with a wooden spoon until smooth, about 1 minute. Using a whisk, incorporate butter. Drizzle in hot milk, whisking continuously. Add pepper, nutmeg, and salt to taste; whisk to combine. Serve immediately.
4. For the electric-mixer method, transfer hot, drained potatoes to bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed, until most lumps have disappeared, about 1 minute. Add butter; mix until blended. On low speed, add hot milk in a slow stream, then add pepper, nutmeg, and salt to taste. Mix to combine.

Gorgonzola Cream Sauce

Oh my goodness. I think I stepped into creamy sauce heaven when I took my first bite of this delicious recipe. It's very rich and absolutely perfect for beef and mashed potatoes. It was probably one of our favorite recipes of the night.

Ingredients

• 4 cups heavy cream
  
• 3 to 4 ounces crumbly Gorgonzola (not creamy or "dolce")
• 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
  
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Directions

Bring the heavy cream to a full boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, then continue to boil rapidly for 45 to 50 minutes, until thickened like a white sauce, stirring occasionally.

Off the heat, add the Grogonzola, Parmesan, salt, pepper, and parsley. Whisk rapidly until the cheeses melt and serve warm. If you must reheat, warm the sauce over low heat until melted, then whisk vigorously until the sauce comes together.

Crock Pot Braised Beef

As you may know my husband and I LOVE the Food Network. This past weekend we had our best friends, Jake & Tanya, over for a comfort food meal to try out some new found recipes. This braised beef recipe was the main dish. I thought I'd post all the recipes we used Saturday night. It was such a yummy meal and I thought it would be nice to share.

Ingredients

3 Tbsp butter
salt and pepper
1 (3 pound) beef brisket
1 cup beef broth
1 (12 ounce) bottle chili sauce
1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix
2 teaspoons garlic powder

Directions

Lightly salt and pepper the roast on all sides. Heat butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Put roast in the skillet and sear the meat on each side for 1-2 minuted or until lightly browned. Place the roast into a slow cooker. Pour beef broth in the skillet with the juices from the seared meat, stir it around to incorporate any browned bits from the pan and pour the juices over the meat in the crock pot.. In a medium bowl, mix together the chili sauce, onion soup mix, and garlic powder. Pour over the brisket. Cover, and cook on the Low setting for 8 hours. Pull meat apart into equal-sized juicy-chunked servings.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

Yes, it is that time... Fall time = amazing food!! Yay! And you know what, I don't care if it's STILL hot outside. Fall has always been my favorite time of the year. Now that I'm obsessed with cooking and baking yummy food it has made Fall all the more exciting. Mr. Niu has been working so hard every day. He works part-time, goes to school full-time, he is taking a GRE prep class (4 hours per class) AND he still makes time for his church callings and most importantly the love of his life, me! I wanted to surprise him one Saturday afternoon. He has been craving pumpkin chocolate chip bread. Sooo... I found this moist and chocolatey bread.

Ingredients

• 3 cups white sugar
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup water
• 4 eggs
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional) - We prefer no nuts in our breads ;)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 1 pound size coffee cans, or three 9x5 inch loaf pans. (Or you can use muffin tins. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees F.)
2. In a large bowl, combine sugar, pumpkin, oil, water, and eggs. Beat until smooth. Blend in flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts. Fill cans 1/2 to 3/4 full.
3. Bake for 1 hour, or until an inserted knife comes out clean. Cool on wire racks before removing from cans or pans.

Servings: 36
Prep time: 30 min. Cook time: 1 hour Ready in: 1 hr. 30 min.
Amount per serving: 177 calories, 6.9 grams fat

Raspberry and Almond Shortbread Thumbprints

I have wanted to try these for quite some time. We decided to make them for an end of summer BBQ. WOW! These delicate babies have so much flavor and melt in your mouth! Instead of raspberry jam I used my Mom's famous strawberry jam..... mmmm..... so good.

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened not melted
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, cream together butter and white sugar until smooth. Mix in 1/2 teaspoon almond extract. Mix in flour until dough comes together. Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls, and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Make a small hole in the center of each ball, using your thumb and finger, and fill the hole with preserves.
3. Place the cookie sheet with the cookies in the freezer for 10 minutes.
   
4. Bake for 14 to 18 minutes in preheated oven, or until lightly browned. Let cool 1 minute on the cookie sheet.
5. In a medium bowl, mix together the confectioners' sugar, 3/4 teaspoon almond extract, and milk until smooth. Drizzle lightly over warm cookies.

Servings: 36
Prep time: 30 min. Cook time: 18 min. Ready in: 1 hr. 15 min.
Amount per serving: 104 calories, 5.2 grams fat

Tomato-Cream Sauce

We eat a pasta dish every week. Through the weeks I have learned that the hubby is very particular about his pasta sauces. He LOVES all cream sauces, which usually means loads of calories. I've been trying to convince him for some time now that red sauces can be just as wonderful. We're both not huge fans of the canned sauces. After I made this sauce he was hooked! And thank heavens for me it's so easy and cheap.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 tablespoon dried basil leaves
• 3/4 teaspoon white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup heavy cream/milk (I usually just use milk)
  
• 1 tablespoon butter

Directions

1. In a saucepan, saute onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat. Make sure it doesn't burn. Add tomatoes, basil, sugar, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to boil and continue to boil 5 minutes or until most of the liquid evaporates. Remove from heat; stir in whipping cream and butter. Reduce heat and simmer 5 more minutes.

Servings: 5
Prep time: 5 min. Cook time: 15 min. Ready in: 20 min.
Amount per serving: 182 calories, 16.2 grams fat (if you use the heavy cream)

Baked Salmon Dijon

One week day after work I was CRAVING salmon. It's all I could think about. So, my sweet husband picked up some oh so delicious salmon on the way home. I needed to find a quick, yummy recipes and with my trusted source Allrecipes.com I found this. The topping melts in your mouth. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 4 (4 ounce) fillets salmon
• 3 tablespoons prepared Dijon-style mustard
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup Italian-style dry bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a shallow baking pan with aluminum foil.
2. Place salmon skin-side down on foil. Spread a thin layer of mustard on the top of each fillet, and season with salt and pepper. Top with bread crumbs, then drizzle with melted butter.
3. Bake in a preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until salmon flakes easily with a fork.

Servings: 4
Prep time: 10 min. Cook time: 15 min. Ready in: 25 min.
Amount per serving: 331 calories 21.5 grams fat

Stuffed Green Peppers

The first time I ever tried stuffed green peppers was on my mission in Washington D.C. I don't remember ever enjoying peppers before I served my mission in D.C. I was definitely missing out. I LOVE peppers now. They have so much flavor and they are so good for you! Okay, below is the original recipe, but we made some changes I wanted to mention. First, we cut the recipe in half. We used 1/2 lb. ground turkey instead of beef and it was delicious. We cooked the rice separately and added it to the tomato mixture to warm with the mixture. We added more Worcestershire sauce to the mixture and didn't even bother to use and pour the tomato sauce on top. We cut the peppers in half length-wise and filled each pepper halved. It was perfect for us with the changes.

Ingredients

• 6 green bell peppers
• salt to taste
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
  
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup uncooked rice
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 2 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup
• water as needed

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cut the tops off the peppers, and remove the seeds. Cook peppers in boiling water for 5 minutes; drain. Sprinkle salt inside each pepper, and set aside.
2. In a large skillet, saute beef and onions for 5 minutes, or until beef is browned. Drain off excess fat, and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the tomatoes, rice, 1/2 cup water and Worcestershire sauce. Cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until rice is tender. Remove from heat, and stir in the cheese.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. (175 degrees C). Stuff each pepper with the beef and rice mixture, and place peppers open side up in a baking dish. In a medium bowl, combine tomato soup with just enough water to make the soup a gravy consistency. Pour over the peppers.
4. Bake covered for 25 to 35 minutes, until heated through and cheese is melted and bubbly.

Note: The changes in the recipe would make the calories and fat less than below per serving.

Serves: 6
Prep time: 30 min. Cook time: 30 min. Ready in: 1 hour
Amount per serving: 467 calories, 24.3 grams fat

Eggplant Parmesan

When I told my husband that Eggplant Parmesan was on the menu for the week I think he though I was crazy, but he's always willing to try something new. This recipe is so, so delicious and it's pretty healthy! While I baked the eggplant I simply warmed some pasta sauce, cooked some spaghetti and layered each plate with pasta, eggplant slice, sauce, and cheese. It was so easy and was much faster. We cut all the ingredients down and only used one large eggplant. Below is the full recipe if you would like to bake everything together in the oven. Bon Appetit!

Ingredients

• 2 eggplants, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 3 cups spaghetti sauce, divided
• 1 (16 ounce) package mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Dip eggplant slices in egg, then in bread crumbs, and sprinkle with parmesan cheese . Place in a single layer on a baking sheet covered with a little olive oil. Bake in preheated oven for 5-7 minutes on each side.
3. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F. In a 9x13 inch baking dish spread spaghetti sauce to cover the bottom. Place a layer of eggplant slices in the sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Repeat with remaining ingredients, ending with the cheeses. Sprinkle basil on top.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until golden brown.

Servings: 5
Prep time: 25 min. Cook time: 35 min. Ready in: 1 hour
Amount per serving: 487 calories, 16 grams fat

Garlic Chicken

I was really skeptical before making this meal. It just seemed too easy... BUT the reviews and ratings on Allrecipes.com were too good to resist. The other night I made this melt-in-your-mouth chicken and the aroma while is was cooking was mesmerizing! Oh my!! I served with steamed veggies the first time and the second I served with a side of mac n' cheese and peas.

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons crushed garlic (I use 3-4 large cloves)
  
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. Warm the garlic and olive oil to blend the flavors. (Be sure to mince AND crush the garlic!!! Pop it in the microwave for a few seconds and voila!) In a separate dish, combine the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Dip the chicken breasts in the olive oil and garlic mixture, then into the bread crumb mixture. Place in a shallow, greased baking dish.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until no longer pink and juices run clear.

Serves: 4
Prep time: 20min. Cook time: 35min. Ready in: 55min.
Amount per serving: 278 calories, 15.3 grams fat

Lemon Garlic Tilapia

This delicious tilapia dish has the perfect combination or lemon, garlic, and butter... Mmmmmm... A yummy way to eat healthy. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 4 tilapia fillets
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  
• 3 tablespoons butter
  
• 2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (190 degrees C). Spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Rinse tilapia fillets under cool water, and pat dry with paper towels.
3. Saute garlic in butter.
   
4. Place fillets in baking dish. Pour lemon juice over fillets, then drizzle butter/garlic mixture on top. Sprinkle with parsley and pepper.
5. Bake in preheated oven until the fish is white and flakes when pulled apart with a fork, about 8-12 minutes depending on thickness of fish.

Note: For more flavor and an extra crunch add 2-3 Tb. of buttered bread crumbs or finely crushed Ritz crackers.

Serves: 4
Prep time: 10min. Cook time: 10min. Ready in: 20min.
Amount per serving: 142 calories, 4.4 grams fat (I added 2Tb. more butter than the original recipe. These amounts may be off.)

Ham Rotini Casserole

I found this recipe in "I Can't Believe It's Food Storage!" and it is super delicioso!

2 cups rotini pasta, cooked
1/2 cup salad dressing (Miracle Whip) or light mayonnaise
1/4 cup milk
1/2 bell pepper (green or red), chopped
2 cups broccoli florets
2 cups ham, cubed
1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Cook pasta according to directions on box.  Drain.

In a large bowl, combine salad dressing and milk.  Mix until smooth.  Add pasta, bell pepper, broccoli florets, ham, and 1 cup cheddar cheese.

Put contents of bowl into a greased casserole dish.  Top with remaining cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup.

Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Feta Chicken

Okay, so I know that I just posted a feta chicken recipe, BUT we LOVE feta and this is another (and in my hubby's opinion) EVEN BETTER recipe for feta and chicken. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 6 ounces tomato basil feta cheese, crumbled
• 1/4 cup Italian-style dry bread crumbs, divided

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. Place chicken breasts between 2 pieces of waxed paper. Gently pound chicken with flat side of meat mallet or rolling pin until about 1/4 inch thick; remove wax paper. Place 1 ounce of feta cheese in the center of each chicken breast, and fold in half.
3. Spread 2 tablespoons bread crumbs in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Arrange chicken in the dish, and top with remaining bread crumbs.
4. Bake 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Notes: I didn't have tomato basil feta. Instead, I sprinkled dried basil and red pepper flakes on the feta before folding over. You can also use chopped fresh basil and sun-dried tomatoes. I also used more than 1/4 bread crumbs and sprinkled the crumbs on both sides of the chicken before adding the feta. To secure the folded chicken I used a few toothpicks on each piece. So, so, so yummy and easy!!!

Serves: 6
Prep time: 15min. Cook time: 30min. Ready in: 45min.
Amount per serving: 224 calories, 7.8 grams fat

- Mindy

p.s. Almost all photos for my recipes are compliments of Allrecipes.com

Baked Ziti Supreme

I've been eye-ing this recipe in my cookbook since the beginning of my first semester and finally got to it! I really enjoyed it. Probably not the healthiest but it sure is comfort food.

1 pound ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup) (I didn't have onion so I used onion powder)

1 jar (24 ounces) Prego® Fresh Mushroom Italian Sauce

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (6 ounces)

5 cups medium tube-shaped pasta (ziti), cooked and drained

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

• Cook the beef and onion in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat until the beef is well browned, stirring often to break up the meat. Pour off any fat.
• Stir the sauce, 1 cup mozzarella cheese and pasta in the saucepan. Spoon the mixture into a 3-quart shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350°F. for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbling.

(Picture is compliments of Campbell's Kitchen.com)

Fast & Friendly Meatballs

In our attempts to eat healthy we have substituted much of our ground beef for ground turkey and surprisingly have loved the results. This is one of the hubby's favorites. We love our scrumptious meatballs! Note: I added the last five ingredients to make them especially good. This is a great recipe to experiment with.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 (20 ounce) package ground turkey
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/3 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/2 tsp. sage or rosemary
• 2 Tb. grated parmesan cheese
• 1 Tb. garlic powder and/or onion powder
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1/8 cup water

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with the olive oil, and place it in the oven while preheating.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the ground turkey, egg, bread crumbs, sage or rosemary, parmesan cheese, garlic powder or onion powder, pepper and water using your hands. Using an ice cream scoop if possible, form the meat into golf ball sized meatballs. Place about 1 inch apart in the hot baking dish. Press down to flatten the bottom just slightly.
3. Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, then turn them over, and continue baking for about 5 more minutes, or until somewhat crispy on the outside. Serve with pasta and sauce or however you'd like.

Serves: 18
Prep time: 10min. Cook time: 20min. Ready in: 30min.
Amount per serving: 72 calories, 4.4 grams fat

- Mindy

Sweet Potato Casserole

The weather today has been wet and gloomy... I guess that's why I'm posting tasty and warm comfort foods. This is the perfect holiday sweet potato dish. The hubby and I love it as dessert too! Just thinking of it makes my mouth water. So yummy!

Ingredients

• 4 cups sweet potato, cubed
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground clove
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  

Topping: (double, if desired)

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Put sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan with water to cover. Cook over medium high heat until tender; drain and mash.**I baked the sweet potatoes for an hour in a preheated oven at 400 degrees F. Before baking I poked each potato a few times with a fork. Do not wrap the potatoes in foil to bake. After baking I cut each potato in half and scooped out the yummy goodness. The taste is so much better when you BAKE the potatoes first.**
2. In a large bowl, mix together the sweet potatoes, sugar, eggs, salt, butter, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, clove and nutmeg. Mix until smooth. Transfer to a 9x13 inch baking dish.
3. In medium bowl, mix the sugar and flour. Cut in the butter until the mixture is coarse. Stir in the pecans. Sprinkle the mixture over the sweet potato mixture.
4. Bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes, or until the topping is lightly brown.

Serves: 12
Prep time: 30 min - 1 hour Cook time: 30 min. Ready in: 1 hour
Amount per serving: 195 cal. 7.8 grams fat

- Mindy

Swiss Chicken Casserole

This easy dish is comfort food to the max!! I remember someone from my mom's Relief Society bringing this dish to us for dinner one night when my mom was sick or just after having a baby. Anyway, I would make this dish in college every month! I sometimes substitute the Swiss cheese for pepper jack cheese. Yum! Serve with rice and veggies or whatever you want.

Ingredients

• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 6 slices Swiss cheese
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 cups herb-seasoned stuffing mix
• 1/4 cup butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Arrange chicken in a greased 12 x 8 x 2 baking dish. Top with Swiss cheese slices.
3. Combine soup and milk and stir well. Spoon mixture over chicken and sprinkle with stuffing mix. Drizzle butter or margarine over crumbs.
4. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 50 minutes. Enjoy!

Serves: 6
Prep time: 10 min. Cook time: 50 min. Ready in: 1 hour
Amount per serving: 430 cal. 20.8 grams fat

- Mindy

Wedding Cakes - Fondant

Mindy & Jon

Ivory fondant with pearl dust.  Elegant!

Sarah & Aaron

Very colorful inside.  I used blue and yellow Jimmies

to make a "funfetti" cake that matched the color scheme.

Shara & Shane

Each tier is decorated to look like an elegantly wrapped gift.  

Inside are swirls of blue, yellow and white cake. 

Shara helped design this fantastic cake.  She and her mother rolled the many edible fondant pearls. 

Sarah and I worked for several weeks on this project, but it was worth it!

Natalie & Josh

Edible pearls covered in gold pearl dust.

Jennifer & Ryan

A simple design, but so lovely.  I used Swarovski crystal beads

 on gently curved wires to add some sparkle.

Wedding Cakes - Buttercream

Alisha & Jared

Michelle & Sam

Melanie & Nick

 

Amber & Cameron

Christina & Kyle

A wedding on the Delta Queen, Sacramento River.

The Bishops

A Fall Wedding

A reception at the Allen home.

Sara

Kent & Kristina

This is the first wedding cake I helped Sarah with.  She was told she could choose any design.  The entire cake is piped in basket weave, very time consuming.  Sarah did a fantastic job.